Azure Arc
The latest Azure Arc coverage — news, analysis, and updates from the WindowsNews.AI desk.
How to Test-Drive Windows Server 2025’s New Security and Hybrid Features Before Upgrading
Microsoft quietly refreshed its Windows Server 2025 Evaluation Center listing on July 16, giving IT administrators a 180-day sandbox to trial the latest server platform before committing production...
Migrate SQL Server to Azure VMs Through Azure Arc — No Separate Tools Needed
Microsoft has made generally available a long-requested capability: moving databases from Azure Arc–enabled SQL Server instances directly to SQL Server on Azure Virtual Machines, all within the...
You Can Now Pay for Windows Server 2025 by the Hour—But Watch Out for These 3 Costly Surprises
Microsoft quietly flipped the switch on a licensing model that can slash upfront server costs or silently drain your Azure budget: pay-as-you-go Windows Server 2025 through Azure Arc. The new...
How to Tame the Hybrid Cloud Beast in 2026: A Windows Admin’s Guide to Governance and AI Workload Placement
In 2026, hybrid cloud is no longer a transitional phase for enterprise IT; it’s the permanent operating model. For Windows shops, that means managing workloads that now routinely straddle...
Your Windows Server 2016 Deadline Isn’t July 2026 — It’s January 2027, and That Changes Everything
Microsoft’s end-of-support calendar just tripped up IT planners who assumed Windows Server 2016 and SQL Server 2016 share the same drop-dead date. They don’t. SQL Server 2016 leaves extended...
Microsoft Extends Hotpatching for Windows Server 2022 Azure Edition Into 2027, Delaying Reboot Worries
Microsoft has quietly pushed the availability of hotpatching for Windows Server 2022 Datacenter: Azure Edition past the operating system’s October 13, 2026 mainstream support sunset, granting Azure...
Microsoft Slashes Windows 365 Business Pricing by 20%, Rebrands Frontline to Flex, and Launches Azure Virtual Desktop Hybrid Preview
Microsoft delivered a triple-header of cloud desktop updates on May 4, 2026, cutting Windows 365 Business prices by 20 percent, renaming Windows 365 Frontline to Windows 365 Flex, and opening a...
Azure Arc Hotpatching for Windows Server 2025 Now Free, Cuts Reboots Everywhere
{ "title": "Azure Arc Hotpatching Free for Windows Server 2025: Fewer Reboots, More Hybrid", "content": "On May 19, 2026, Microsoft removed the price tag from Azure Arc-enabled hotpatching for...
Patch Azure Arc now: CVE-2026-40381 gives local attackers SYSTEM or root access.
Microsoft disclosed CVE-2026-40381 on May 12, 2026, an Important-rated elevation-of-privilege vulnerability in the Azure Connected Machine Agent. The flaw allows an attacker with local access to a...
Arc Cert-Manager Public Preview Launches April 15 for Hybrid TLS Lifecycle Automation
Microsoft released the public preview of cert-manager support for Azure Arc-enabled Kubernetes on April 15, 2026, delivering a fully supported extension that automates TLS certificate lifecycle...
Microsoft’s Azure Local Can Now Scale to Thousands of Servers in a Single Sovereign Environment
Microsoft has knocked down one of the biggest barriers holding Azure Local back from large-scale private cloud deployments. The company now says the platform can scale to thousands of servers inside...
Windows Admin Center Hybrid Security Risks: Patching, Monitoring, and Best Practices
Microsoft’s Windows Admin Center is once again at the center of a larger security lesson: hybrid management tools can become a bridge for attackers, not just a convenience for administrators. The...